Bass Tubes: The Nuclear Bomb of Smallmouth Fishing

There’s one lure, bass tubes, that consistently catches smallmouth bass everywhere you go. It’s not new and sexy like the Spybait, it’s ugly and it’s been around for a LONG time.

Why is it so successful? It closely mimics many of their favorite treats, whether that be crayfish, gobies or sculpins.

There are two primary ways to fish tubes:

1. A standard internally weighed tube (which is most popular)

2. One a mushroom head jig with an exposed hook

The mushroom head rigging is less popular, but it provides a different action than the internally weighed setup. At times, it can be a better option to get bit. As always, experiment with both rigging techniques on any given day.

The correct weight depends on the depth of water you’re fishing. Carry weights from 1/16 oz all the way up to 1/2 oz, and you’ll be prepared for fishing anywhere from 2 feet of water to 30+ feet.

Probably the most important thing with fishing a tube is presenting it effectively to the fish. What that means for tube fishermen is keeping the bait on the bottom or as close to the bottom as possible throughout the retrieve.

There are three primary retrieves you can employ with tube fishing:
1. Bottom hopping

2. Slow dragging

3. Slow drag with a rip

If you’re in the store looking to stock up on some tubes, you’ll quickly find that you have a LOT of options. While brand choice is up to you, we can make some recommendations on size. Most fishermen like using three and four inch baits, but we would suggest trying out the smaller two inch models. We use all three sizes, but when the bite gets ultra tough, we like to bust out the two incher for more of a finesse look for bass.

And any color works great as long as it’s green pumpkin… 😉